The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, has described the Commission’s conduct of the Osun State governorship election as a benchmark in electoral administration.
He also announced that a nationwide mock accreditation exercise would be conducted in November 2026 to assess the Commission’s preparedness for the 2027 General Election.
Amupitan stated this on Friday, August 21, 2026, in Abuja during separate courtesy visits by Mr David Sproule, Chargé d’Affaires of the Canadian High Commission to Nigeria, and Mr Moritz Sprenker, Country Representative of the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, KAS, to the Commission’s headquarters.
The INEC Chairman said the Osun election, conducted on Saturday, August 15, 2026, demonstrated the impact of administrative planning and technological reliability.
According to him, 3,556 out of 3,763 polling units in the state, representing 94.5 per cent, were operational for accreditation and voting by 8:30 a.m.
He attributed the achievement to the effective performance of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, BVAS, the smooth transmission of results to the INEC Result Viewing, IReV, portal and proactive crisis management by field officials.
“We regard the success in Osun not as a final goal, but as the benchmark that will inform our preparations for 2027,” Amupitan said.
The INEC Chairman disclosed that the Commission would conduct a mock accreditation exercise in November 2026 as part of preparations for the general election.
He described the exercise as a comprehensive field test of the BVAS aimed at ensuring the integrity of the electoral process ahead of the 2027 polls.
Amupitan also expressed appreciation for Canada’s continued partnership and support towards the success of the exercise.
He further addressed the need for a voter revalidation exercise, explaining that a significant number of voters, particularly elderly Nigerians who registered as far back as 2011, would need to have their records validated.
According to him, the exercise could not be conducted before the 2027 General Election due to time constraints, but remained necessary to prevent delays in future electoral processes.
The INEC Chairman noted that the engagements came at a crucial point in the Commission’s timetable, with the Presidential and National Assembly elections scheduled for Saturday, January 16, 2027, while the Governorship and State House of Assembly elections are slated for February 6, 2027.
He recalled that Wednesday, August 19, 2026, marked the official commencement of public campaigns and rallies for the 2027 General Election.
Amupitan added that the Commission had recently joined presidential candidates and political party leaders at the National Peace Committee’s signing of the inaugural National Peace Accord, which focused on issue-based campaigning.
While welcoming the Canadian delegation, the INEC Chairman said the visit reinforced the longstanding bilateral relationship between Nigeria and Canada, founded on democratic principles, the rule of law and good governance.
He commended Canada’s continued support for electoral governance, civic education, institutional strengthening and gender inclusion in Nigeria.
Amupitan identified five areas of strategic priority for collaboration with Canada: consolidating the technological gains recorded in Osun; improving electoral inclusivity for persons with disabilities, women, youths and underrepresented groups across the Commission’s more than 176,000 polling units; strengthening institutional capacity through technical assistance and training; combating election-related misinformation; and supporting the forthcoming mock accreditation exercise.
Earlier, Sproule commended INEC’s commitment to a free and credible electoral process and reaffirmed Canada’s readiness to support the Commission in areas it considered necessary, including election observation.
He expressed particular interest in the active participation of women and other segments of society in the electoral process, saying Canada was confident in the Commission’s capacity to conduct credible elections.
In a separate meeting, Amupitan welcomed Sprenker, the newly appointed Country Representative of KAS, and congratulated him on his appointment.
He described KAS as a longstanding partner of the Commission and commended the Foundation’s contributions to constitutional democracy, the rule of law and good governance globally.
Amupitan said INEC and KAS had collaborated on regulatory frameworks for political parties, including technical retreats held in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, and Lagos, which he said contributed to the Commission’s preparations for the Osun election.
He outlined strategic priorities for continued collaboration with KAS, including civic education and the promotion of democratic culture, advancement in electoral technology, strengthening institutional capacity, combating misinformation, increasing inclusivity for persons with disabilities and marginalised groups, and fostering inter-agency dialogue to ensure peaceful electoral processes.
Responding, Sprenker said KAS operates in more than 100 countries and has been active in Nigeria for over 25 years, working with government, civil society, academia and the media.
He recalled a capacity-building workshop on procurement conducted with INEC in Lagos in March 2026 and reaffirmed KAS’s commitment to strengthening its partnership with the Commission.
Amupitan used both meetings to reassure the international community of INEC’s independence, neutrality and commitment to democratic integrity as the Commission strengthens its logistical capacity to deploy approximately 1.4 million ad hoc personnel across more than 176,000 polling units nationwide for the 2027 General Election.
